Sagrantino

There’s a wine so bold it nearly vanished—until one man made it a legend. Arnaldo Caprai, the visionary behind Italy’s Montefalco Sagrantino, passed away at 92, leaving behind a legacy that transformed a near-extinct grape into a global icon. For decades, Sagrantino was a footnote in wine history, its dark, tannic character deemed too fierce for mainstream palates. Caprai didn’t just save it—he redefined it, proving that terroir and patience could turn a forgotten vine into a benchmark of Italian winemaking. Caprai’s journey began in the 1970s, when he traded textiles for terroir, buying a 108-acre estate in Umbria. Most…